Fantasy land

Collection of Mana offers three classics in one package for a new generation of gamers

Square Enix brought out a set of three classic games to Nintendo Switch in Japan two years ago. This collection included Adventures of Mana, which most people know as Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, and a game that had not been released outside Japan at the time. This game was Seiken Densetsu 3. Two decades after releasing in Japan, Seiken Densetsu 3 has now been released in English as Trials of Mana. This inclusion itself makes the collection worth buying for most people, but there is a lot to love in the other games too.

Final Fantasy Adventure and Secret of Mana were both remade for multiple platforms over the last few years. While the Secret of Mana remake had some issues, the original is basically superior in almost every way. Final Fantasy Adventure, on the other hand, is a bit hard to go back to after playing Adventures of Mana. Both games are available as they were originally on Game Boy and SNES, with a few convenience options like save states and filters.

All three games are action RPGs but Trials of Mana is definitely the standout. It gives you a lot of freedom right from the start with who you select as your protagonist and companions. It is also definitely one of the best looking games of that era, with gorgeous sprite work. If you’ve never played any of these games before, the collection is worth picking up to own three classics in a single limited edition package.

It is disappointing that you can’t play any of the games in this collection without disabling the border artwork. While the included art options are nice, some people may find them distracting. Thankfully there is a music player option to listen to some of the excellent music the three games have.

Collection of Mana isn’t for everyone. While Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana have aged brilliantly, the lack of the usual visual options and conveniences of modern retro collections here makes it a harder sell for the casual JRPG fan. If you can look beyond that, this collection essential offers three games that changed the face of roleplaying games in Japan.